>> reporter: a seven-day standoff came to an end today. the little boy taken hostage nearly a week ago, now safe. authorities used an explosive to enter an underground bunker, where 5-year-old ethan was held after negotiations broke down with 65-year-old jimmy lee do k dykes. a high tech camera was inserted into the bunker to monitor dykes' movements. >> mr. dykes was observed holding a gun. at this point, fbi agents fearing the child was in imminent danger entered the bunker and rescued the child. >> reporter: tonight, jimmy lee dykes is dead. the standoff began last tuesday when dykes boarded a school bus, shot the driver, charles poland, jr., and snatched ethan. the boy, who is believed to have autism, was held captive in the six by eight-foot underground bunker while police and s.w.a.t. teams carefully negotiated through a ventilation pipe. dykes allowed what authority

authorities called comfort items to be sent down that pipe. toys, coloring books, potato chips and ethan's medication. police were careful not to anger dykes, believed to be watching news reports in the bunker, and even thanked him at one point. >> i want to thank him for taking care of our child. that's very important. >> reporter: by night, police flew drones over that bunker, looking for signs ethan was still alive. all this, as this small town in alabama watched and prayed. just today, a group of children made birthday cards for ethan, who will soon turn 6, to let him know they were thinking about him. >> he's my whole friend. and i love playing with him. >> reporter: tonight, hugs and thanks, now that the town's prayers have been answered. >> tell me, gio, anything we know about the condition of the child? >> reporter: well, we're told that he is physically unharmed. that is the good news. in fact, perhaps telling is that we saw an ambulance leave the scene and that ambulance had its lights and sirens off.

>> and i know that was a relief to you, gio, as well. he it's been a long week watching every minute of this. we thank gio benitez. and of course, the story is another headline about gun violence. and today, president obama traveled to minneapolis to raise pressure for gun legislation. here's abc's chief white house correspondent jonathan karl. >> reporter: faced with an uphill battle in congress, the president took his campaign for new gun control measures on the road today. >> we're not going to wait until the next newtown. >> reporter: a essential cal component of the president's plan is requiring virtually anybody buying a gun to get a background check. but the audience in minneapolis has seen first-hand that that's not enough. last september, just a few miles from where the president spoke, minnesota suffered its worst ever mass shooting. 36-year-old andrew engeldinger went on a rampage at this sign store after he was fired. shooting and killing six employees before turning the gun on himself. according to engeldinger's

parents, he was mentally ill and had refused treatment. but here's the thing -- he legally bought his gun here after passing a background check. >> our son struggled for years with mental illness. in the last few years, we have no longer had contact with him. >> reporter: the local sheriff has met with president obama and believes the current system simply misses too much. >> we've identified gaping holes in the background checks. it's really become what is america's dirty little secret about these background checks. >> reporter: last year, there were nine mass killings in the u.s. eight of the gunmen had a history of mental illness. a background check is only as good as the database used to check a gun buyer's record. consider this -- only 12 states actively submit mental health records to the federal database. the president has proposed fixing this by giving states money to improve recordkeeping, and by urging doctors to report credible threats of violence to law enforcement. mental health experts say the other key to fixing the problem is identifying and treating

those with mental illness at a young age. the white house wants to give states the resources to do that, but of course, diane, that is going to require money and it is also the kind of thing that will take a long time to actually show result. >> a long time. how soon? what is the soonest? >> reporter: well, it's going to take awhile because you have to go in, you're establishing a system, to go in and identify people, treat them and give the mental health experts the ability to report who they are concerned about to federal law enforcement. something they are not normally inclined to do. >> but you're saying the president is out firing up the public, because his own team has been a little bit hesitant? >> reporter: no doubt. the leader of this battle in the senate, harry reid, with george stephanopoulos this sunday on "this week," saying that he's not even convinced on the all of the president's plans. >> okay, jonathan karl, thanks so much. and now, we turn to your money and a big spike tonight in the price of gas. up 18 cents in one week. the average price now $3.54 a gallon. and we also learned today americans now spend more of the

family budget on gasoline than any time in the last four years. $2,912 a year and that's 4% of the family budget. and now, to an abc news exclusive, with the inspiring young girl targeted by the taliban. just because she wanted girls to go to school. tonight, malala yousafzai speaks. her life-changing surgery is over. and abc's bob woodruff has talked to her father, as well, about the fragile young girl full of so much passion and purpose. >> reporter: malala yousafzai's journey from this to this is nothing short of a miracle. and today, for the first time, people heard her voice. >> today, you can see that i'm alive. i can speak. i can see you. i can see everyone. and i'm getting better day by day. it's just because of the prayers of people. >> reporter: prayers and letters sent to this young girl who became a symbol of hope. she was just 12 when the taliban shut down her school.

and her public crusade began. >> i have the right of education. i have the right to play. i have the right to sing. i have the right to talk. i have the right to speak up. >> reporter: her actions made her a target. last october, on her way home from school, she was brutally attacked. gunmen entered her van and shot her at point blank range in the head. she was medevaced to england in critical condition, but she refused to die. the bullet had glanced off her skull, traveled down her cheek and into her shoulder. incredibly, it didn't enter her brain. as her story spread, so did her following. i spoke with her father, a schoolteacher himself. malala has become a hero. she has now triggered a huge movement around the world. she gets letters from children. >> malala is incredible. >> reporter: they have made videos for her. had you ever imagined it would be this kind of reaction to what happened to her? >> i think malala is an inspiration for the children all over the world.

when she fell, pakistan stood and the whole world supported her. >> reporter: today, malala was sitting up in bed after five hours of surgery this weekend, to repair her skull and damaged ear. she released a video statement, talking about her new fun. >> i want to serve. i want to serve the people. and i want every girl, every child, to be educated. and for this reason, we have organized malala fund. >> reporter: what are you trying to accomplish by the fund? >> our aim and our dream is to educate children. especially girls, because when you educate a girl, you educate the whole family. you educate a generation. you educate all other coming children. >> reporter: the challenge is enormous. today, there are 32 million girls around the world who are not in school. now, while that fund is yet to get off the ground, she's actually recovering now, diane.

and on the left side, you can see she was paralyzed on the left side. hopefully, between the next 9 to 18 months, the doctors working on the nerves, she can get back to normal. >> but her words are so powerful. it is incredible. >> reporter: she's moving people. really is. >> sure is. bob woodruff reporting in. and now that big event. tonight, it is official. the super bowl, the third-most watched tv event in history. 108 million of us tuned in to watch those dueling brothers, beyonce and the blackout. abc's josh elliott answers some morning after questions about that big night. >> flacco. end zone bound -- and he's got a touchdown! >> reporter: the game was furiously paced from the start. if also more than a little one-sided. the baltimore ravens overpowered the san francisco 49ers. taking a 28-6 lead, fewer than two minutes into the third quarter, when suddenly -- >> one big click of the light switch and we lost power. >> i think at some point, it was

bad. >> reporter: a clearly frustrated john harbaugh, screaming at anyone who would listen. in this case, that's the vice president of game operations, as the ravens coach demanded to know when communications would be restored. after 34 long minutes, the superdome flickered back to life. still, the delay caused twitter to erupt. as it parsed the oddest 34 minutes in super bowl history, at a rate of some 230,000 tweets per minute. one person tweeting, "if you liked it, you should have put a backup generator on it." nfl commissioner roger goodell insists the league had a backup plan. >> there was another system that they were ready to reboot. ♪ >> reporter: there's no indication at all that any of this was caused by the halftime show, which prior to the blackout, had been the big moment of the night. and for those wondering, beyonce's electrifying turn, the

work of some 600 crew members in just 11 minutes, was run entirely on generator. and so, when the game resumed, momentum shifted to the san francisco 49ers, and they mounted a furious comeback -- that would fall one play short. and in the end, it was older brother john who would come out on top. and a final snapshot, as all eyes fell on the brothers harbaugh. john telling jim, "i love you." and his brother saying in response, "you, too, john." >> you feel an incredible amount of elation with an incredible amount of devastation. >> and josh elliott, back here with us. so, let's go back to the blackout. what was it like under the dome there? because watching from home, we couldn't be sure how dark it was, which half? >> reporter: disconcerting to say the least. in the time we now live, when you enter a super bowl stadium and you pass the security personnel and checkpoints, it's hard not to imagine at least for a moment, the worst of your fears. and it felt, if only for a

moment or two, that perhaps that had come to pass. thankfully, though, it does appear it was nothing more than the surreal and historic kicking of a plug from a socket. >> this is going to be a long-told tale. thank you so much, josh. great to have you back. and still ahead here on "world news," we help one family turn something right in their home into thousands of extra dollars. and you can do it, too. i've been taking a multivitamin for years. centrum silver. both of us actually. our pharmacist recommended it. and that makes me feel pretty good about it. and then i heard about a study looking at multivitamins and the long term health benefits. and what do you know? they used centrum silver in the study. makes me feel even better, that's what i take. sorry, we take. [ male announcer ] centrum. the most recommended. most preferred. most studied.

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there is a survey that says an average american family would like to spend about $5,000 for all four members to go on a summer vacation together. well, what if you could start earning some of that money right now, with something in your home? abc's amy robach helps one family find real money right down the hall. >> reporter: the norrie family lives in a four-bedroom house in montclair, new jersey, and they've been having trouble paying for their mortgage. i'm amy. >> hi, amy. >> reporter: and this bedroom upstairs could be their ticket out. turns out there are tens of thousands of americans renting spare rooms for big bucks. and the norrie's want to do the same. what are you hoping to get from this financially? >> we hope to be able to keep our house. you know, because we're very underwater, like a lot of people around here. >> reporter: there are travelers with real money in their pockets, from all over the world.

and no matter where you live, there's a way to sell your space. and what do you think needs to be done here to give it the look it needs to be rentable? >> we need things that can be done quickly and easily. >> reporter: and affordably. >> yeah. we're talking cheap. >> reporter: making it even more affordable, websites like istopover.com and airbnb.com find you the renters, help you vet them and give you insurance, all for free. but since you're competing with the pros, you still have to make your space appetizing. interior designer cathy hobbs says there are easy tricks to transforming any room into a rentable oasis. tip number one, clear out the clutter, including those family photos and personal touches. what do you think of the color? >> i mean, it's white. it's boring. >> reporter: tip number two, paint makes rooms feel bigger. >> i think this is looking pretty good already. >> reporter: tip number three, instead of buying new furniture, re-use what you already have. we found a dresser and nightstand from around the house.

>> close my eyes? >> reporter: and just a few hours later, just look at the difference. >> oh! >> reporter: in fact, the whole room feels bigger and brighter with that fresh coat of paint and new seating area. tip number four -- home rental sites like airbnb will even send a professional photographer to your home to take photographs -- for free. in all, we spent $239 on improvement and appraisers told us this family could make $12,552 on this room this year. >> so, now someone will come and say, i want to stay here. >> i hope so. >> reporter: amy robach, abc news, montclair, new jersey. >> real money. and, coming up, they are the bones of one of the most ferocious kings in history, found under a parking lot? how are they sure it's the man who cried, "my kingdom for a horse!" hey, our salads.

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and there, a gape in the skull. a fatal blow in battle? but the clincher, a dna match. the british tracked down a canadian-born cabinet maker, michael ibsen, a known descendant of king richard's sister, anne of york, who showed a match with the dna in those bones. eerie to think the hunchback king has come to greet us once again. >> now is the winter of our discontent. and tonight, it was the water cooler debate of the day here. which super bowl ads topped your list? well, "usa today" ranked them and number one, the clydesdales. the irresistible foal we showed you last friday. today, there was a picture of the foal getting the news. and by the way, she will be named later this week. number two on the list, the tide commercial, the magic stain. remember that one? and number three, radio legend paul harvey, advertising the dodge ram with a salute to america's farmers.

>> god said, i need somebody willing to get up before dawn, milk cows, work all day in the fields, milk cows again, eat supper, then go to town and stay past midnight at a meeting of the school board. so, god made a farmer. >> and here's to all the farmers in my life, too. and you can see the entire list of winning ads on our website, abcnews.com. coming up, the fairy tale ending to the story in the movie "the blind side." last night, the real life celebratory hug. my achy feet made it tough to play with billy. until he got his number. right! the machine showed me my pressure points on my feet, and it gave me my custom number. my arches needed more support. in two minutes, the dr. scholl's foot mapping center showed me my free foot map and my number. i'm a 440. that matched up to the dr. scholl's custom fit orthotic inserts with the support i needed. now, i play all day long! my feet. my number. my inserts. go to drscholls.com to find your closest walmart with a foot mapping center. i'm a believer!

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when i first felt the diabetic nerve pain, of course, i had no idea what it was. i felt like my feet were going to sleep. it progressed from there to burning like i was walking on hot coals to like a thousand bees that were just stinging my feet. i have a great relationship with my doctor. he found lyrica for me. [ female announcer ] it's known that diabetes damages nerves. lyrica is fda approved to treat diabetic nerve pain. lyrica is not for everyone. it may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior. or swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, changes in eye sight including blurry vision,

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didn't even dare to dream. >> reporter: it was a powerful moment. >> we just both darted for each other and he picked me up. >> reporter: this picture of an emotional leigh anne tuohy hugging her adopted son, "big mike," who some neighbors felt that she and her family should never have taken in. >> he was so excited, and i was just sobbing. i mean, i was absolutely sobbing. >> reporter: and now he's a super bowl champion. >> we won the super bowl! >> dreams do come true. >> reporter: theirs is the true story behind the film "the blind side." where sandra bullock won an oscar for her portrayal of a white mother who reached past her comfort zone to lift up a young black teenager from a broken home. >> team is your family, michael. you have to protect them from those guys. >> reporter: the actress had seats at the game and dressed her adopted son in ohher's j eo jersey. today on their drive back home to memphis, the real leigh ann told us she loves michael just as much as her biological children, who joined the whole family last night. >> families don't have to match.

you don't have to look like someone else to love them. the thing that needs to be addressed here is there are wonderful kids all over this country and this world that want a forever family and we believe that there are no unwanted kids, there are just unfound families. >> reporter: oher played a good game, blocked his man as well as he could and spoke with abc news anchor josh elliot during the celebration. >> i'm in shock right now. it's unbelievable. >> reporter: his parents tell us they're so proud. and it's so very special seeing one of their children achieving his dream. steve osunsami, abc news, new york. >> by the way, leigh ann told us after the game, "michael's got great hands, great feet, a great head. we maybe gave him a pair of wings to fly with." we thank you so much for watching. "nightline" will be here later at its new time, 12:35 a.m. eastern. and we'll see you again tomorrow night. until then, good night.

caught on camera. a follow up on the violent crash what happened to the girl behind the wheel of a stolen car. >> developing news and new video from the crash of a tour bus in southern california. seven people are dead and owners record is left. >> the 49ers return home to the bay area after falling just short of maybing biggest come back in super bowl history. >> and you're going hear from some drivers who didn't get fair warning that their cars were going to be towed after the big game. >> here they are. the san francisco 49ers

getting off the plane today after a7 fans wanted players to know they made it a great year. the team arrived in san jose. a few fans man wrathed to catch a glimpse of the players

and keechs as they got off the plane. the team did not, could not, hide their disappointment. now, here is sky 7 hd following the buses on highway 101. the drive took only about 10 minutes and there, you can hear them, fans lynned up to welcome the team, as if they had won. >> i look forward. i mean, yahoo! >> um... i am a die hard fan since i was born. so we lost, but it's so close. >> the future looks great for us. we have a young team. i know, i have it in my heart that my son is going to get his first super bowlful i've seen five. he's going to get his first one. they're going to get it next year. >> the only person who stopped to greet fans was coach harbaugh.